Cigarette box packing device



' 'April 21, 1942. E. ZIMNIAK' CIGARETTE BOX, PACKINGDEVICE Filed June2 8Q1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l -i-qtmx- April 21, 1942, E. ZIMNIAK 2,280,335

CIGARETTE BOX PACKING DEVICE Filed June 28, 1938 U 4Sheets-Sheet'2 April 21, 1942. E, ZIMNIAK v 2,280,335

- CIGARETTE Box PACKING DEVICE I Filed June 28, 1938 4 Sheets- Sheet sv April 21, 1942. E. ZIMNLAK 2,230,335

CIGARETTEBOX PACKING DEVICE Filed June 28, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 21, 1942 CIGARETTE ox PACKING DEVICE Edmund Zimniak, Dresden, Germany, assignor, by:

mesne assignments, to Muller N. V., Rotterdam,

N etherlands 1 Application June 28, 1938, SerialNo. 216,207

In Germany July 5, 1937 s 10 Claims.

The present invention relatesto a cigarette box packing device and particularly to the filling of preformed boxes with cigarettes.

An object of the invention is to provide means for pushing the cigarettes into the boxina more efiicient manner than heretofore known.

.Another object consists in reducing the mass and increasing the speed of the cigarette pusher which is used in filling the boxes.

With the foregoing and otherobjects in view, the invention will be more fully'described hereinafter, and willbe more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views. l

Figure l is a detail diagrammaticshowing of one form of construction embodying the invention. n l

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan of aportion of a device shown in Figure 1. i i v Figure 2, is a side elevation partlyin section of a modified form of device embodying the inven-' tion.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the device shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view partly in section and partly diagrammatic corresponding to Figure 2, and s s Figure 5 is a detail top plan fragment of the device shown in Figure 4. i n i In the packaging of cigarettes wherein cigarettes are delivered in definite numbers from an endless conveyorand pressed into a preformed box, it has been customary at the end of the upper run of the conveyor to take over the movement of the cigarettes and then cause a plunger to press them homeinto the box. This plunger by its nature travelled in the path of the cigarettes and was given a long throw. The plunger had therefore considerable mass which was one partly in section factor limiting its speed. The path travelled by the plunger was such that the carriers on the conveyor belt had to be spaced widely apart in order not to interfere with the movement of the plunger. The ordinary form of plunger travelled a longstroke and because of its length andsize was difiicult to reciprocate rapidly.

This invention solves the problem of, shortening the path of the pusher and also reducing its mass. The result is that the pusher maybemoved more rapidlyand frequently and the carriers on. the endless conveyor may be closer together so that a large number of cigarettes are handled per unit time.

In general, the invention consists in replacing I one of the feed rollers which takes up the movement ofthe cigarettes at the end of the conveyor with two spaced rollers andv then forming the pusher intheform of a rocking arm which can pass into said space. The pusher does not need to have a very long strokeas a result of this. The guide rollers themselves carry the cigarettes until their ends lie adjacent the closest points of the rollers and from thispoint the cigarettes need to be moved only a short distance into the box.

entirely between these rollers. Referring particularly to this structure, cigarettes are delivere dfl in suitable numbers upon a table T'from any suitable source. The cig-arettes are moved endwise along the table by means of carriers 3 which are mounted on the endless chain or belt I which travels over a sprocket 2 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1. The forward end of the table T is tapered as at l to provide a turning place for thecarriers 3 which followaround the sprocket 2 from this point and return to the opposite end of the table T. The forward arms 4 of the carriers press the cigarettes Z across the gap between the end land the bridge 5 and advance the cigarettes between the guiding rollers 6 and l which are driven in the direction of the arrows. Between the rollers 6. and l the cigarettes Z are propelled toward the left of Figure 1 until the cigarettes reach the position in dotted line. From this point the guiding rollers 6 and 1 cannot move the cigarettes and a pusher I4 is employed to pass between the guide rollers and push the cigarettesinto the preformed box Sch. The box rests upon a support 15 which has a slot it in which suitable mechanism may beplacedfor the handling of thecigarette boxes. 7 Such mechanism is shown generally in'connection with the second form o-fthe devicein Figures 2 and 3.,

The closure flap L- of the box is placed beneath a strip 8 which adjoins the-lower guiding roller l.

so that the cigarettes are slid into the boxupon a portion of the flap L. In the final box filling position, the pusher l4 reaches the dotted line position in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1 the upper-rollers 9 and I!) are spaced at H to permit the pusher to travel therethrough. Each of the spaced rollers is mounted upon a shaft 12. supported and driven independently but of course at the same speed. The by the swinging arm I 3 pivoted at ld fmay therefore be advanced freely from the full line position to the dotted line position of Figure 1. It is to be understood that the swinging arm l3 will be actuated atsuitable times in synchronism with l the conveyor I. y I i It will therefore be seen that the travel of the pusher I4 is practically only the length of the cigarette and a very light and short construction pusher M which is carried 7 may be employed so that there is no mechanical obstacle to a fairly rapid oscillation of the pusher. Furthermore, the forward end of the pusher is lifted by swinging up out of the path of the next group of cigarettes handled by a carrier 3. Thus, one group of cigarettes can follow close upon another.

Referring more to Figures 2 to 5, a form of device is illustrated in which the upper guide rollers, instead of being mounted on separate shafts, are mounted on the same shaft so that a pusher can pass partially between the rollers. As shown diagrammatically in Figure 4, the conveyor I, sprocket 2, carrier 3 and arm 4 are the same as shown in Figure 1. The cigarettes are moved along the table T onto the bridge 5 and between the rollers 6 and l. A pusher is then employed of modified construction. The cigarettes are slid uponthe closure cap L into the box Sch.

Figure 5 shows the construction of the upper I rollers 9', l3 of this modified form of the invention. In this form the shaft 12' is unitary and extends completely through the two rollers 9 and ll! of the upper guiding rollers. Between the rollers a groove II is formed which extends in through the rollers to the shaft l2 but is not continuous all the way because of the fact that the shaft I2 is not out.

Since, in the second form of the device, the pusher cannot travel completely between the upper guiding rollers, the pusher must have a portion which extends between the guiding rollers 6' and 1 to advance the cigarettes into the box. Figure 4 shows diagrammatically a pusher 34 which is in the form of an L-shaped lever which carries at its forward end the plow 4| which engages lhe ends of a group of cigarettes. The pusher 34 is mounted fast upon an axle 35 which passes through the lower end of an arm 33 which in turn is mounted upon an axle 32 for rotation therewith. A short arm 31 is also mounted fast to the axle 35 so that movement of the arm 31 causes swinging of the pusher 34. The pusher in this instance is then given a compound motion. The arm 33 is swung with the axle 32 from the full line position in Figure 4 to the dotted line position thereof. In the course of swinging to the dotted line position, the arm 31 is caused to traverse the cam face 39. The forward end of the arm 31 carries cam engaging roller 38 which reduces the friction of passage across the cam face. In addition to being swung about the axle 32, the pusher 34 is also swung with the axle 35 in conformity with the shape of the cam face 39. This compound motion causes the pusher 34 to be raised as it is withdrawn from its full line position toward the dotted line position of Figure 4. This raising is accomplished, as will be appreciated, by the deep central portion of the cam face which producesa clockwise swinging of the arm 3'6, axle 35 and pusher 34 so that the plow M is raised to clear the next arriving group of cigarettes.

The mechanism shown diagrammatically in Figures 4 and 5 is brought out in greater detail inFigures 2 and 3 to which reference is now made. The support l5 for the cigarette boxes Sch is shown in Figure 2 to have a conveyor 24 travelling in the slot it of its upper surface. The conveyor 24 has clips 63 which engage opposite sides of a cigarette box and at suitable intervals the conveyor is operated and an empty box Sch is substituted for one which has just been filled. Conveyor 24 passes over a sprocket 6| mounted on a shaft 23.

The pusher 34 is carried upon a pedestal 30 which rises from the frame 28 of the machine. This frame is in the form of an inverted U and the conveyor l and related parts are situated in the hollow interior thereof. At the top of the pedestal 30 is a bearing 3| through which the axle 32 freely passes. As previously explained, the arm 33 is mounted for rotation with the axle 32. The end of the axle 32 at the opposite side of the bearing 3| is fastened to an end of a short arm 43 which in turn is pivoted at 44 to the upper end of a crank arm 42. The lower end of the arm 42 is forked and is guided by the two surfaces 45 and 46 on the collar 41 of the driving shaft 26. These last parts are shown in dotted line in Figure 2. On the arm 42 there is freely mounted at 49 a roller 48 which rides upon the periphery of the eccentric disc 50 which is driven by the shaft 26. From this eccentric disc 53 the pusher 34 is given a swinging motion through the various connecting links.

The roller 38 which travels the cam face 39 is held in yieldable engagement with this cam face by means of a spring 40 one end of which is attached to the arm 3'! adjacent the roller 38 and the other end of which is attached to the arm 33.

The axle 12 of the upper guiding rollers 9', I0 is shown in Figure 3 to be mounted in two bearings l8 and I9. The axle l2 has at its outer end the pinion 23 which is connected through the pinion 2| to the gear 22. The lower roller 1 is mounted upon an axle 23 which is journalled in the opposite side walls of the frame 23 and which carries at its outer end a pinion 21 which meshes with the gear 22. Both sets of rollers are driven from the gear 25 mounted upon the shaft 25 of the conveying means.

This second form of the invention accomplishes the object by providing a connecting shaft between the spaced rollers and by causing the pusher to undergo a lifting movement as well as a swinging one. The result is that a relatively light and rapidly operable pusher advances between the guiding rollers 6' and l and presses the cigarettes Z into the box Sch. In its return stroke the pusher 34 is swung partly back and then is lifted so as to clear the advancing ends of the next group of cigarettes. As in the case of the first form of the device, the carriers 3 may be located more closely together on the conveyor I and the quantity of cigarettes boxed increased.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a cigarette box filling device a driven guiding roller, a pair of axially spaced driven rollers mounted in spaced relation to the first said roller to provide a space between the first roller and said pair of rollers for the reception of cigarettes, and a swingably mounted pusher adapted to be swung between said pair of spaced rollers whereby to engage cigarettes in the space between the first roller and the pair of rollers to move said cigarettes.

2. In a device for packing cigarettes in a container, a conveyor having closely spaced carriers thereon for advancing the cigarettes, means for supporting containers in the path of movement of said carriers, the combination of vertically spaced guiding roller means for receiving the advanced cigarettes therebetween, one of said roller mean consisting of horizontally spaced rollers, an arm swingably' mounted for movementinto and out of the space between said horizontally spaced rollers, a cigarette pusher pivotally'mounted on said arm for movementbetween said guiding roller means, andmeans for controlling said pusher to lift the same after ltis. withdrawn from between said roller means. l

3. In a device for packing cigarettes in'a conshort stroke, means for controlling said pusher member'to lift the same. afterit has been withdrawn from said rollers, and an arm for said pusher member entering and leaving said space between the horizontally aligned rollers.

7. In a device for packaging cigarettes, the

, combination of feed rollers to. receive and adtainer, a conveyor having closely spaced carriers thereon for advancing the cigarettes, means for supporting containers in the path of movement of said carriers, the combination of vertically spaced guiding roller means for receiving the advanced cigarettes therebetween, one of said roller means consisting of horizontally spaced rollers,

and an arm pivotally mounted for swinging movement into and out of the space between said horizontally spaced rollers and having its ends remote from the pivot formedto pass between'said guiding roller means and push cigarettes located between said roller means, said arm being pivoted at a position and having a length such that the path of the cigarette engaging end curves upwardly as the, arm is swung away from the space between said horizontally spaced rollers, whereby further cigarettes may be delivered to said guid ing roller means without interference. 4. In a device for packing cigarettes in a container, a conveyor having closely spacedcarriers thereon for advancinglthe cigarettes, means for supporting containers in the path of movement of said carriers, the combination of vertically spaced guiding roller means for receiv- I ing' cigarettes therebetween, one of said roller means consisting of horizontally spaced rollers,

an arm pivoted for swinging movement into and out of said space between said horizontally spaced rollers, a cigarette pusher pivotally mounted on said arm for movement betweenv said guiding roller means, acamlocated in the path of said arm, and means drivinglyconnected to saidpusher and. travelling on said cam, said cam being shaped whereby upon swinging of said arm away from said space between said Vance the cigarettes endwise to the package, av

pusher member to engage the ends of the cig-r arettes for moving the same toward the package after the cigarettes have passed the feed;

rollers, certain of said rollers being coaxially aligned and spaced from each other, alight, c

rapidly reciprocating pusher member having a short stroke, means for controllingsaid pusher, member to lift the same after it is withdrawn from between the rollers, and an arm for said pusher memberentering and leaving said space between the horizontally aligned rollers.

8. In a device for packing articles in a container, a conveyor having closely spaced carriers thereon for advancing the articles, feed jrollers having a gap therebetween lying in the projected path of the articles from said carriers, said rollers mounted on substantially parallel axes and having their adjacent peripheral edges spaced apartto gripthe articles and continue to feedthe same forwardly after such articles have left the carriers, means for supporting containers in line with said-gap and the path of movement of said carriers,

j being co-axially aligned and horizontally spaced from each other, and a pusher constructed and arranged for entering the gap between said roll I ers for pushing rollers.

horizontally spaced rollers to withdraw said pusher from between said roller means the pusher is elevated so as to permit the introduction of guiding roller means into said cigarette receiving space and a portion I of said means being adapted for movement into the'space between the two rollers on the other of said axles. o I l 6. In a cigarette packing machine, the combination of guide rollers to receive therebetween and advance the cigarettes endwise to the'package, areciprocating pusher member operating independently of the guide rollers and entering the space between the guide rollers for engaging the ends of the cigarettes and pushingthem toward the package, certain of said rollers being coaxially aligned and spaced from each other,

9. In a device ,fOI feeding articles into containes, spaced feed rollers having a gap between the near edges thereof of approximately the width of the article to enable said rollers to grip andfeed the articles forwardly, a support fora container] positioned in a substantial alinement with, said gap to; receive the zontallyspaced from each' other, and pusher means adapted to cause the articles to be moved into the. container after release from said feed rollers,isaid pusher means constructed and ar-' ranged-to enter said space between said rollers. 10. Adevice for feeding articles into contain ers comprising oppositely rotating feed rollers 2 container positioned relatively to the gap'to receive the articles therefrom, certain of said rollers being co-axially aligned and horizontally pushing the articles into the container after respaced apart to form a gap across which the peripheriesof the rollers rotate in the same forward direction, means for feeding articles to the gap between said feed rollers, a support for a spaced from each other, and pusher means for lease from said feed rollers, said pusher means being pivotally mounted formoving out of the line of the gap to clear incoming articles when said pusher means is moved on itsback stroke, said, pusher means on its to descend behind the articles into the alinement of the gap. and container,said pusher means constructed and arranged and positioned relatively' to said feed rollers to move into and out of the space between rollers on its forward and back strokes.

EDMUND ZIMNIAK a pusher member of light construction having a a certain of said rollers.

thevarticles into said container and for entering said space between saidfeed 7 articles, certain of sa1d rollers being co-axially aligned and horiforward stroke adapted said horizontally spaced 

